had succeeded to Polk, was in the centre, at Kenesaw, and Hardee was on the left, across the Lost Mountain and Marietta Road. A division of Georgia militia guarded the crossings of the Chattahoochee. The whole country, says Sherman, has become one vast fort; Johnston must have fully fifty miles of connected trenches, with abatis and finished batteries. With truth it was remarked, "We crowd them day and night; push them from tree to tree, from ridge to ridge, from earth-work to earth-work, from their first position to their last. A vast skirmish blazes from morning to night along ten or twelve miles of infantry lines."

From Kenesaw, "the everlasting hill," Johnston could look down upon the national camps and observe every movement. His batteries thundered away, but did little injury on account of their extreme height, the shot and shell passing harmlessly overhead, as the troops lay close up against his mountain tower.

During these operations about Kenesaw the rain fell alThe dreadful state most continuously for three weeks, rendering of the weather. the narrow wooded roads mere mud gullies, so that a general movement would have been impossible; but the men daily worked closer and closer to the intrenched foe, and kept up an incessant picket-firing galling to him. Every opportunity was taken to advance the general lines.

In spite of this trying weather, the army was in the highest spirits. The Western soldiers seemed to take delight in characteristically exaggerating their troubles. "The water comes down as it only can do in the South. The June rains, that nearly drowned Rosecrans's army, are duplicated; old campaigners speak of them with decreasing respect. The roads are impassable. The trees are dropping the intercepted moisture in tears as big as wal nuts. Skirmishing is not brisk; a man must be vindic tive indeed if he would shoot an enemy who is as clammy

as a codfish, and has a crawling rivulet going down his back." "The whole country is full of the most remorseless wood-ticks. They bite hard. We have to divide our attention between them and the rebel sharp-shooters, whose aim, however, is just as good; you can't go safely within three quarters of a mile of their rifles."

The affair of
Kulp's House.

McPherson was watching the enemy on Kenesaw, and working his left forward, Thomas swinging, as it were, on a grand left-wheel, his left on Kenesaw connecting with McPherson, and Schofield moving to the south and east along the old Sandtown Road. On the 22d, as Hooker had advanced his line, with Schofield on his right, the enemy, Hood's corps, with detachments from the others, suddenly sallied and attacked at 4 P.M. The blow fell mostly on Williams's division of Hooker's corps, and a brigade of Hascall's division of Schofield's army. The ground was comparatively open, and, although the enemy drove in the skirmish line, yet, persisting in his assault till sundown, when he reached the line of battle he received a severe repulse, leaving his dead, wounded, and many prisoners. This is known as the affair of "Kulp's House."

Though inviting Johnston to commit such mistakes, Sherman resolves to Sherman could not hope that the affairs of assault Kenesaw. Dallas and Kulp's House would be repeated. He saw that there was no alternative but to assault the lines or turn the position. He resolved on the former, selecting the enemy's left centre. On the 27th of June two assaults were made, one near Little Kenesaw by McPher son, and the other a mile farther south by Thomas. They Failure of the were made simultaneously. Both failed, with assault. the loss of many valuable lives. The killed, wounded, and missing were nearly 3000, and but comparatively little loss was inflicted on the enemy, who lay behind his well-formed breastworks.

On the 28th of June, writing to a friend, Sherman says,

Difficulties attend- "My campaign has been one grand skirmish, ing the campaign. mountains and forests so obscuring the ground that I have not seen 10,000 of the enemy at any one view, though by advancing my lines at any time 100 yards in the past month I could draw the fire of 100 guns and 50,000 or 60,000 muskets at point-blank range. I have been compelled to move laterally for miles to turn a line or succession of lines of parapets, which, though made in two or three days, have all the essentials of a permanent work, ditch, parapet, and embrasure, and the very best kind of abatis and palisade. Each party has made many dashes at the other, but invariably the assailant gets the worst of it. I have already passed over 100 miles, including the only nitre-producing country, the great iron and coal beds of Georgia, and its best meat-producing country."

After the failure of the assault, nothing remained but to resort to the old measure and turn the position. On the 1st of July McPherson was relieved by Garrard's cavalry in front of Kenesaw, and his whole army was put in motion toward Turner's Ferry, which is across the Chattahoochee at the mouth of Nickajack Creek.

Johnston at last

The effect was instantaneous. McPherson's movement was commenced on the night of July 2d, and forced from Ken- the next morning Kenesaw was abandoned. With the first dawn of day the national skir mishers appeared on the mountain-top.

esaw.

"The fatigue of this campaign, since the first day's march from Ringgold, has been very great. The cautious approaches on Dalton, the sleepless, laborious nights and bloody days at Resaca, the fortnight of carnage and vigilant toil near Dallas, and the many even more wearisome and sanguinary days consumed in investing the position of Kenesaw, are without parallel (unless it be Grant's present campaign) during the war. The losses in both these armies, in killed and wounded, during this period of grand activity, fully equal those of one of our great encounters,

without the decisiveness that sometimes pertains to a pitched battle of the first class."

(6.) The passage of the Chattahoochee.

of Marietta.

Thomas's whole line was now moved forward to the railThe occupation road, and turned south in pursuit toward the Chattahoochee. Sherman, in person, entered Marietta at 8.30 A.M., just as the enemy's cavalry were leaving. Marietta is prettily situated in a valley in the rear of Kenesaw, to which there is a pleasant drive through the most enchanting groves. Near the hotel, which had been used as a hospital, was a carpenter's shop, at the door of which was a pile of unplaned coffins. In the cemetery, close at hand, there were more than 800 new-made graves.

It was hoped that Johnston might be assailed in the confusion of crossing the Chattahoochee, but he had skillfully provided against this, and covered his movement well. He had constructed a strong tête-du-pont at the Chattahoochee, with an advanced intrenched line across the road at Smyrna Camp-meeting Ground, five miles from Marietta.

Sherman approach

chee.

Here Thomas found him, his front covered by a parapet, his flanks behind the Nickajack and Rottenes the Chattahoo Wood Creeks. On the 4th of July his entire line of pits was captured, and strong demonstrations made along Nickajack Creek and Turner's Ferry. Next morning Johnston had abandoned his position, and Sherman moved to the Chattahoochee. Thomas's left flank rested near Paice's Ferry, McPherson's right at the mouth of Nickajack, and Schofield in reserve. The Confederate cavalry crossed the Chattahoochee, Wheeler observing it above, and Jackson below. Johnston followed his cavalry across on the night of the 5th, and took up a position on Peach Tree Creek and the river. He lay behind a line of great strength, covering the railroad and pontoon bridges. To turn it the river must be crossed-a deep and rapid stream, passable only by means of bridges, except at one or two difficult fords.